Question of the Week: How do You Work with Record Models?

I recently got a question from a fellow ArchSmarter reader about updating a record Revit model with “Day 2” projects. These “Day 2” projects are typically modifications or renovations that occur after occupancy.

Do you any experience with working in record models? What are some best practices you’ve developed for managing the existing model as you’re updating it?

Liked this article?

Comments

We typically do not do what we call “as-builts”, drawings of the finished product with changes that happen in the field. Mostly because our customers don’t care to pay for that.

Occasionally however we get a job doing work in a building that we had already modeled previously. When that happens, we find the original model, and save as a new project. Then we merge the two (or more) phases of the project using “combine with” into the “existing” phase. Then we change project numbers, etc. within the project information and get to work.

I’m hoping I’m understanding the question properly and giving a good answer.

First and foremost, don’t even consider any type of record drawings or post-occupancy reviews or updates without specifying that as a Supplemental Service under Article 4 of the standard AIA Owner-Architect Agreement. I recommend using hourly rates defined in Section 11.7.

Why? No matter what you do and how long it takes to do it, the Owner will want more. It will be the “Oh, can you add this other item? It’s not shown, but we think it will be upgraded in the near future.” This will be your First Plane of Hell.

Next make an immediate copy of the Revit file and associated files that were used as the original Construction and Bidding Documents and signed off by the Owner. This is your CYA backup. Neglect this at your own peril because the “LIABILITY” light will be directing you to the next Planes of Hell.

Next you’re going to bebop and skip through to the Last Plane of Hell. As anyone who uses Revit knows, making changes to finalized Construction Documents is Purgatory unto itself. Again, why?

RULE #1: EVERYTHING must jive, and coordinate with everything else. You move a wall with a section marker, you better damn well, fix that section. You adjust a linked file that affects the main model, all must be singing “Kumbaya.”

RULE #2: DO NOT PROCEED, DO NOT MOVE until the Owner gives you a WRITTEN list or scope of what they want. Your version of “record drawings” may not be the Owner’s version of “record drawings.” And be prepared for “I don’t remember it being built or drawn that way.” (Remember that backup.)

I could go on, and yeah, some people have it easy–I have never had it easy with this craziness. If you’re the Architect (like myself) doing the grunt work, you are liable for EVERYTHING. Use plenty of commonsense and don’t be afraid to bill heavily–sometimes it’s the only way to keep the Owner from stopping.

Just to piggyback onto the original question: What about Tenant Improvements?

For example:
1. A mixed-use building is completed (built).
2. Then, Tenant “A” needs a space designed.
3. Halfway through Tenant A’s project, Tenant “B” needs a space in the same building designed.
Note: Each TI project has the potential to change the main building model (new utility piping, move an existing door, etc.).

Possible solutions?
– Keep one master building model, linked into separate TI models? Link the TI models into each other?
– Copy a completely separate building model for each TI project?
– Mess with Revit phases between the TI projects?
And what if the main building needs a renovation, separate from the TI projects?

(this isn’t the majority of our work, just a challenge I see down the road…)

I worked for a firm that did a lot of renovations for a large grocery chain. All of their stores were in CAD and we were tasked with modeling our project in revit so that upper management could buy into the 3d visualizations. Needless to say, this promptly broke all of their internal CAD based workflows, but it did give us an opportunity to develop some handy BIM features, including take-offs and custom .rfa libraries. Contractors liked it better because we could roll out client revisions much faster and our drawings tended to be better coordinated during CA.

As far as best practices go:

– Get a statement, in writing, of what information client needs from the BIM model. AIA has a template for this. If your proposal was set up for basic CDs, but client expects a 5D ubermodel, good luck explaining the difference in court to the non-initiated.

– Never trust as-builts, especially if client is acting as CM or is otherwise known for cowboying. FIELD. VERIFY. EVERYTHING.

– For buildings with a long history or remodels and a mountain of record docs: Assign a type parameter to indicate which issuance of record docs describes the element in question and move on. This at least gives others on the design team an idea of where to look in record docs for more info.

– Dont waste time modeling things you don’t have to. lean on linked CAD in overall plan views if you must.

-Annotate your scope of work with clouds. Tag the clouds to match whatever master revision sequence client is using. Our projects issue title would typically read: Plan Mod (##) – (Project Description), with the Revision delta tagging as ‘PM(##)’. Revisions to our set (after permit) were noted as ‘bulletins’ and the revision delta for those clouds would tag ‘B(#)’ so stakeholders would know the difference between scope of work and revision clouds. You have to creative with custom revision clouds to do this, but it makes communicating the work much easier.

Kind of the tip of the iceberg, but hopefully that helps from a PM Standpoint.